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The present invention relates to a method of use for securing a urethral catheter to or at the outside of a patient""s body in order to prevent or restrict undesirable movement or displacement of said catheter while in, on, or at the patient""s body. This invention references the following U.S. patent classification/sub classification as the field of endeavor:
CLASS 604/174 Surgery/Means for securing conduit to body.
Urethral catheters used in surgical or medical procedures for humans and animals alike usually require attachment to or at the patient""s body in order to avoid undesirable tube movement or displacement. A variety of conventional methods are employed to secure a urethral catheter to a patient""s body those of which include suturing, taping, strapping, stapling, rubber-banding, using pressure-sensitive adhesive pads or a combination thereof. Of all the preferred methods suturing is the most effective, durable and economical means of attaching urethral catheters to a patient""s body.
In order to accommodate the attachment of a suture to a urethral catheter tube or member thereof, many catheter designs use different types of suture retention means that are located on various mating components such as catheter wing members, catheter flange members, catheter collars, catheter hubs, slip on suture pads and grooved tube members.
For example U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,187 to Reynolds reflects a urethral catheter using a tube mounted securing collar that can be sutured to a patient""s body. U.S. Pat. No. 3,821,957 to Riley describes a utility catheter with a tube mounted retention slide whose lugs permit suturing to a patient""s body. The utility catheter of U.S. Pat. No. 4,230,110 to Beroff comprises a hub section that is suture pierceable allowing suture attachment to a patient""s body. The adapter body shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,473 to Bartholomew is a device that fits on the proximal end of a blood vessel catheter and has suture holes at its wing tips and in addition a saddle for looping a suture across and then to a patient""s body. The xe2x80x9cTom Catxe2x80x9d urethral catheter made by Kendall Sovereign is supplied with a frictional fit slip-on winged suturing adapter with suture holes that permit suturing to a patient""s body. The xe2x80x9cJacksonxe2x80x9d urehral cat catheter made by Jorgensen Laboratories, Inc. is supplied with a button with holes that serves as an attachment for suture retention to a patient""s body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,233 to Moriuchi uses a sliding catheter tube sleeve with an annular groove for retaining sutures that will be attached to a patient""s body for intravenous use. Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,763 to Helland and U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,874 to Rugland are suture sleeves that slide over electrical lead catheters.
All of the aforementioned patents use suture type retention devices in order to anchor a catheter tube to a patient""s body. However, these suture retention devices are individually constructed components thereby associated with additional manufacturing costs beyond the cost of the catheter tube proper.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,902 to Bestetti teaches a catheter tube with an adiacent suturingrib xe2x80x9cweldedxe2x80x9d to a funnel shaped head on the inlet end and is designed strictly for implantation in a blood vessel of a patient""s body and not for urethral insertion. The novel differences between Bestetti and the present invention are that the present invention is designed for urethral insertion and is a solidtary tapered onepiece construction unit from inlet to outlet with no breaks or divisions thus not requiring any additional welding or other steps of manufacture as Bestetti""s does as described in his Detailed Deseription in his Specification. Bestetti does not teach a xe2x80x9ctaperedxe2x80x9d catheter tube as the tapering is required to reduce pain in a urethral insertion procedure as the patient is not anesthetized and not undergoing surerg. Bestetti""s catheter does not have a tagored outlet portion because the tapering is not required due to the fact that the patient is flirst anesctetized and the catheter is then surgically implanted in a blood vessel.
The obiect of this invention is to provide a simple, safe, convenient and economical method of attaching urethral catheters to or at the outside of a human or other animal body by suturing, tying or taping to a tubular depression-shaped anchor member that is simultaneously and integrally constructively formed with the catheter tube proper durina manufacture resulting in a single one-piece solidtary tapered combination construction unit with no breaks or divisions.
The present invention applies to utral catheter devices constructed of plastic, rubber, glass, metal or other suitable materials. It is intended that this tubular depression-shaped anchor member of the catheter be integrally formed during manufacture with the forming of the overall catheter resulting in a one-piece urethral catheter construction unit. The prior art requires the manufacture and assembly of multiple components in order to produce an equal unit. The novel xe2x80x9cbuilt-inxe2x80x9d tubular depression-shaped anchor member of this ural catheter obviously requires far less production material than that of the prior art thereby significantly reducing manufacturing costs. Also there are no individual or additional anchoring components to inspect, test, sterilize, package or distribute.
Due to the simplistic design of the present invention, medical personnel will not find it necessary to assemble various parts, hunt for misplaced parts or replace dropped parts. Suturing, tying or taping can irimmediately begin after finalizing catheter placement. This novel tubular depression-shaped anchor member is in very limited contact with the patient""s body thus reducing the potential for bacterial growth and infection. The attachment site on or at the body remains visible and accessible at all times and can easily be observed or cleansed. The absence of suture pads, suture buttons and the like allow maximum air circulation to flow around the tubular depression-shaped anchor member. Due to its high visibility medical personnel will be able to readily severe sutures, ties or tape for urethral catheter repositioning or removal.
It is an object of the present invention that the tubular depression-shaped anchor mernber, whether it be configured as an hourglass type shape, a radial collar or a radial groove, that the tubular depression-shaped anor member be capable of retaining sutures, ties, tape or other similar fasteners.
It is also an object of the present invention that the tubular deression-shaped anchor member be used in straight, tapered, flexible or rigid tubing or a combination thereof.
Clearly this method of use is a significant improvement and an advantage over the prior art.